Quick Florence Tour – Cradle of renaissance

Florence, the capital city of Tuscany in Italy is famous for Renaissance art, architecture, and sculpture. Thus Florence is known as Cradle of Renaissance. This stunningly, the romantic city attracts millions of tourists every year. In this article, I am going to take a Quick Florence Tour – Cradle of Renaissance.

Quick Florence Tour – Cradle of Renaissance

Florence contains numerous museums, cathedrals, bridges, monuments, art, sculptures and architectural wonders. Florence is also famous for Tuscany gourmet, artworks from Michelangelo, handmade jewelry, leather products and world famous wine from Tuscan vineyards.

Facts about Florence – Forbes ranked Florence as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Also, Florence is an important fashion city and for this, it also falls under the top 15 fashion capitals of the world.

Let’s see what I have visited during my Quick Florence Tour – Cradle of renaissance

Santa Maria del Fione / Duomo / Florence Cathedral – This domed cathedral captivates the skyline of Florence and is one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. Florence skyline is incomplete without Duomo and it stunningly dominates the panoramic view of this city. This majestic cathedral was constructed in the 13th century in Gothic and Renaissance style of architecture. The dome of this cathedral is considered to be the world’s largest masonry dome. It is famous for façade of red, green and white marble, stained glass windows, frescoes and stunning sculptures. It also has Baptistery and Bell Tower. Tourist queue for climbing 400-500 steps of Bell Tower to have the incredible views of Florence city. Entry to this place is very crowded during peak seasons/ summers.

Florence Cathedral – DuomoPonte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio – A medieval stoned arch bridge on river Arno have several jewelry shops. This bridge is also famous as Lovers’ Bridge.

Palazzo Vecchio – The 13th century Palace was town hall before and was a center of local government. This palace has lavish courtyards and ornate chambers. At present, it is a museum with all preserved artifacts and ancient government details.

Palazzo Vecchio

Piazzale Michelangelo – It is located on a hill at the southern bank of Arno river. This 19th-century square/Piazza is known for having panoramic views of whole Florence city with a backdrop of the Tuscan landscape.

Aerial view of Florence city from Plaza MichelangeloBronze statue of david – replica of Michelangelo famous sculpture

Also, you will find the replica of David, Michelangelo’s famous sculpture on this hill-top. It is believed that this statue safeguards the city. Piazzale Michelangelo is dedicated to Florence’s famous artist Michelangelo. This original marble statue of David can be seen in Galleria Dell’ Academia. From here you can also get a clear view of Florence’s prominent landmark like Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Palazzo Vecchio. This hill-top can be reached through the car, taxi, or bus(public transport). Can be visited either during day or night.

Pisa is located about 85kms (50 miles) towards the west of Florence. Pisa can be reached by trains, bus or any other tour services. Trains run at a higher frequency from Santa Maria Novella Train station to this historic city. Check Trenitalia official website for train timings and frequency. Superfast and slow trains both operate and take around 1 or 1.30 hours to reach Pisa.

After reaching Pisa station you have to take a public bus to reach North side of the river as Leaning Tower of Pisa is located there and railway station is at the southern end of the river.

ATTRACTIONS OF PISA –

Piazza Dei Miracoli (Miracle Square) is the most famous historic and world heritage site. This square consists of Cathedral(Duomo), Baptistery, The Monumental Cemetry, The Opera del Duomo Museum & Sinopie Museum and the most famous Leaning tower of Pisa.

Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most recognizable building on earth, which is actually the bell tower of the cathedral. This slanting/leaning tower was constructed unintentional and tilt developed due to the uneven foundation. You can go to the top of this leaning tower by taking 294 uneven stepped staircases for having picturesque views of Pisa. Tickets can be purchased online and onsite. There can be a huge crowd on ticket windows during peak season. It is better to purchase online if you are going in summer.

Cathedral(Duomo) entry is free. Other monuments and museums require a ticket and you can purchase combo-tickets, as it is a cost-effective option if you plan to see all.

Pisa Cathedral

I was having only 24 hours in Florence, thus I missed visiting many museums and other attractions. I would recommend 3 to 4 days trip to Florence, in which 2 days can be reserved for Florence city and 2/3 days for side-trips to nearby Tuscany countryside and towns.

TIPS –

If you are visiting in summers then purchase tickets online to avoid huge Q’s.

To avoid Q’s visit to Florence in the shoulder season. I visited Florence in February which is an off-peak season and I avoided the huge crowd at touristic attractions and so transit or entry to all places was very smooth.

Try to book your stay near the famous Florence Cathedral, as it is centrally located to all places.

HOW TO GET AROUND IN FLORENCE – Florence is a walkable city, but due to uneven bricked or stoned pavements, you need to wear comfortable shoes. For long distances, you can take public buses as they are the very efficient and better way to go around. Look at their bus timetable on their official website.

HOW TO REACH FLORENCE – Florence has International and National Airport which located 5km away from city center. Florence can also reach through trains from major European cities through Euro rail. I visited Florence from Venice.

All photos are taken by me and use of photos without permission would result in legal action.

DISCLAIMER – The content of the blog is solely my views of a place or a thing. This is not to offend any class, religion, ethnicity or nation. My views can change from time to time. This blog may contain some advertisements or links to commercial products and for that, this site is not responsible after you click those advertisements. We are the independent owner of this site and views expressed in this are our own. All photographs are owned by me. There can be slight differences in distances, locations or some details for which I (owner) am not responsible. This post may contain some affiliate links, means at no additional cost to you. I will earn if you will click through affiliates and make a purchase

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48 Comments

Ohh beautiful Florence full of life and history! Although I quite suprise to learn that Florence is one of the famous fashion city! You really described and captured well the main attraction of Florence like the Ponte Vecchio and Duomo of Florence etc. Although you only had 24h I am glad you were able to have a quick visit to Pisa and visiting the leaning tower. I was hoping to see these funny pictures of people (you) pushing the Pisa bell tower! I have some of myself but this was in 2006 and back then my camera was not up for a good shot!

Italy is one of my most favourite holiday destinations. With so Much choice from beaches to mountains and the historic and culture all makes it the perfect destination. Florence is on my list to do and this post surely helps plan your trip to this region. Thanks for sharing and the visuals compliment to post.

Pretty cool that the entrance to the Duomo is free. I honestly didn’t expect it to be so, but that’s exciting. I’ve never been to Florence, but I am a huge history buff and Florence is PACKED! Thanks for sharing your tips!

I wish I had had time to see Florence, it’s such a grand city. I love how even with a city that large, the views still include scenes of the countryside. Good tip about buying tickets online and skipping the lines.

Perfect, this is exactly what I was looking for, since i will travel to Florence in a couple of weeks. I heard already so many fantastic things about this city and your impressions completely confirm that. I like the Aerial view from Florence, looks like a fairytalish medieval place. Great to see, that you also recommend two days for Florence and two more for the surrounding area, since this is exactly what I will do 🙂
Great tips, thank you for sharing your impressions!

This is a handy guide for making a short trip to Florence. I really need to book as it’s the only one of the big Italian tourist destinations that I’ve not been to, still! Great to have an idea of what I could do over a single weekend, for example.

They don’t call it the the Florence Renaissance for nothing. You are so daring to tackle a one day tour of Florence. I think I would definitely take a guided tour that would give you “front of the line” privilege if I was pulling a one-dayer. Perhaps, going in February keeps you from having to purchase that experience.

I’ve never been to Florence but it’s SOOO high up my list of place to go when I get the chance! I didn’t realise it was so close to Pisa! Did you go to Pisa as a day trip or did you spend a few nights there? All the churches and the architecture in both Florence and Pisa look amazing!

I was in Florence for 3 days and it was lovely! I love the bridge Ponte Vecchio, and also the surrounding area. Duomo is definitely a must-visit attraction in Florence. I would love to visit Pisa as a day trip when I return to Florence next time.

Florence is such a vibrant city and there is so much this city has to offer. I’m yet visit Italy, but Florence is definitely going to on my list when I do visit. And of course Pisa, just to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Everything about Florence is lovable and very romantic. Ambling around the street while enjoying the beautiful view of the intricate design of the building would definitely make me very happy. I haven’t seen something like this in real life, and Florence is my dream place to visit. I love that you have toured me virtually around Florence, and thank you for the useful guide.

You have tried covering so many places in Florence in the limited time you had.. That’s so amazing. The buildings, streets and architecture around the city are so intricate and interesting. I can’t even start talking about the views from Palazzo Vecchio and Piazzale. Leaning tower of Pisa has been in my itinerary list. Florence and Pisa are just my kind of places.

Few years ago I made a road trip in Tuscany. I have visited Florence and Pisa and many other small towns in Tuscany. My trip to Tuscany is one of the most beautiful trips I have ever taken and I would recommend to visit that part of the World to everyone! At least once in the lifetime! 😉

Italy is my top priority and Florence is a place I am not going to miss, its so beautiful and the way you have depicted these places within Florence, I am sure its gonna be all worth while. Bookmarking this for future reference

Florence is my kind of place and its been on my list for long. The mention of museums, cathedrals, bridges, monuments, art, sculptures and architectural wonders wants me to pack my bags right away. I would love to see Florence city from Plaza Michelangelo and who would miss Leaning Tower of Pisa. February sounds good for Florence. I will keep in mind.

Reading this post, reminds me of my trip as I strolled across Florence on foot. Its a beautiful town!
I was so much thinking of Dan Brown as well as I saw the places! Lolz.
I haven’t been to Bologna yet. Should go next time!

I loved the architecture and the artistic focus of the city Florence. I agree, Duomo is probably the first place I’d recommend people to visit as well, it is lovely! Also, Piazza Michaelangelo because that’s where you get the best views of the skyline. Ponte Vechhio is also quite intriguing in terms of its architecture and the fact that its so old!

Your post brought back wonderful memories of our visit to Italy. We absolutely loved Florence and think it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our best memories are of the Academia, Uffizi and the Piazzale Michelangelo . Pisa was a day trip we did and thoroughly enjoyed our time at the leaning tower of Pisa.

I have only been to Florence once, but I love this city! The views from piazza Michelangelo are spectacular and unforgettable. We also took a side trip to Piza and loved seeing that iconic building in real life. Great article! Thanks for transporting me back to Florence!

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About Myself

Computer Engineer by education, I am an artist, love traveling to quench my thirst to know the world where we live. I have traveled to many parts but still, feel that I have to travel more because, I believe "OF ALL THE BOOKS IN THE WORLD, THE BEST STORIES ARE FOUND BETWEEN THE PAGES OF A PASSPORT." Create your best stories while traveling. Know people, Know the world ... Travel more....